Time to "lube up"!!!

[nashdm2]

Guys, I need to get the bike ready for spring/summer and need to lube the chain etc. (never ride it in the winter!!!)

It is a while since I have done this and I am not up to date on modern products etc.

Essentially, what lube should I use please that does not splatter everything around it once I start to ride after the lubrication is applied. Hope that makes sense as when I was a kid and I did this, I know the whole bike would be covered in lube once I started to pedal.

KTM 2015 Sport +GPS

Thanks, Dave................

 

[Fordulike]

Guys, I need to get the bike ready for spring/summer and need to lube the chain etc. (never ride it in the winter!!!)

It is a while since I have done this and I am not up to date on modern products etc.

Essentially, what lube should I use please that does not splatter everything around it once I start to ride after the lubrication is applied. Hope that makes sense as when I was a kid and I did this, I know the whole bike would be covered in lube once I started to pedal.

KTM 2015 Sport +GPS

Thanks, Dave................

Different members will have their own preferred lube, but my personal favourite is this one:


You can buy the bundle pack with the No Drip Chain Luber.
It makes it really simple to lube up every link on the chain.

The actual lube is top quality stuff, and has protected my current chain for over 1700 miles with no discernible wear yet. It doesn't attract dirt and dust like some lubes can.

I run the chain through a rag after every ride, and lube up every 250 miles. I used to lube every 50-100 miles, but after advice from other forum members, extended the regime.

The trick is to keep as much shite off your drivetrain for component longevity.

 

[Croxden]

Keeping the chain clean is my maxim, never applied any lube until 5000 miles. I used a wax type and I find now at 8000 the chain appears to need replacing. Don't think I'll do it again in a hurry.

 

[Fordulike]

Does ma

Keeping the chain clean is my maxim, never applied any lube until 5000 miles. I used a wax type and I find now at 8000 the chain appears to need replacing. Don't think I'll do it again in a hurry.

Does make you wonder how peeps are destroying drivetrains so quickly, when you have managed to get so many miles out of one chain

How's the rest of the drive train faring?

Might even extend my lubing regime a bit more thanks to your info

 

[flecc]

Does make you wonder how peeps are destroying drivetrains so quickly, when you have managed to get so many miles out of one chain

I often wonder that too. Even in my unpowered cycling days when the chain took all the drive load, I often replaced a bike after years of use before a chain and sprockets wore out.

And that certainly wasn't because I had some magical chain maintenance secret, mine was much closer to the neglect end of the scale than the meticulous.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

And that certainly wasn't because I had some magical chain maintenance secret, mine was much closer to the neglect end of the scale than the meticulous.
.

If it ain't broke don't touch it! I am in the less is more category when it comes to maintenance as well. Coming out of the winter I am deciding if I will clean the bike for the second time since June...

 

[Croxden]

Does ma

Does make you wonder how peeps are destroying drivetrains so quickly, when you have managed to get so many miles out of one chain

How's the rest of the drive train faring?

Might even extend my lubing regime a bit more thanks to your info

It is the bike with the Rohloff hub gear and has a stronger chain than deraileur bikes. I add lube to my Haibike SRAM on occasions but keeping clean is important.

I expect I will have to reverse the sprockets come chain replacement time, something of another advantage with Rohloff.

 

[SRS]

Finish Line Wet £1.00 a bottle at Millet Sports

used it all winter, great stuff and sticky enough to stay put off road

http://www.milletsports.co.uk/cycle/accessories/finish-line-cross-country-wet-lube/

 

[stumpy150]

its also important to clean the chain once in a while. Using a citric cleanser . I use one of those brush devices that wrap around the chain...Wash of the cleanser with cold water, dry off then lube with gt 85.

If you keep adding lube it ends up like a grinding paste with all the grit and sand in the lube

 

[Tomtomato]

The actual lube is top quality stuff, and has protected my current chain for over 1700 miles with no discernible wear yet. It doesn't attract dirt and dust like some lubes can.

I use the same product (finish line dry) once in a while, and wipe the chain regularly to keep it clean. My current chain also has over 1600 miles, with no sign of wear (not even 0.5% stretch yet)

 

[nashdm2]

Guys, thanks for the replies, a good debate and some great tips for me to try, I will order a Finish Line kit and also ensure the chain is cleaned more often.
Having said that, I am a road user only in the main, but, great advice, thanks........

 

[Bindo]

i use rock 'n' roll gold on my road bike, that what i'll be using on my e-bike once it arrives.

http://www.rocklube.com/

It actually cleans the chain as you apply it, then you wipe off the excess and you are good to go in ten minutes!

I tried the blue one, but it was too wet and attracted dirt, gold is a dry finish.

I racked up 1100 miles on my road bike with zero detectable wear on any components.

I only relubed after 300 miles or a really wet/dirty ride

 

[Yamdude]

I dont use any of these fancy, expensive chain lubes..... i just use engine oil, gear oil, or any lube that just happens to be in my shed at the time. Dont have a set period either, i just clean/lube a chain as and when i think it looks like it needs it.
Any lube is better than no lube.

Do the same with my motorcycles as well.

 

[Croxden]

I dont use any of these fancy, expensive chain lubes..... i just use engine oil, gear oil, or any lube that just happens to be in my shed at the time. Dont have a set period either, i just clean/lube a chain as and when i think it looks like it needs it.
Any lube is better than no lube.

Do the same with my motorcycles as well.

If you put oil on a new chain it removes the lube that is there and will last for thousands of miles. Oil picks up dirt and forms a grinding paste causing increased wear.
But if it works for you keep it up. But I have tried it and don't do it now.

 

[Yamdude]

If you put oil on a new chain it removes the lube that is there and will last for thousands of miles. Oil picks up dirt and forms a grinding paste causing increased wear.
But if it works for you keep it up. But I have tried it and don't do it now.

Well if i'm doing it wrong, it must be the chain fairies that keep my motorcycle chains going for over 20K miles..... cant remember ever having to replace a bicycle chain at all.

 

[flecc]

If you put oil on a new chain it removes the lube that is there and will last for thousands of miles. Oil picks up dirt and forms a grinding paste causing increased wear.
But if it works for you keep it up. But I have tried it and don't do it now.

Not with the motorcycle chains that Yamdude mentions, since their modern chains are O ring or X ring types that seal in the manufacturers grease where it matters. Surface oil applied can only affect the chain rollers and sprocket surfaces, not the inner parts of the chain.
.

 

[Yamdude]

Its correct about the O & X ring chains on mc's now..... but i was riding mc's long before these came about. In those days it was always gear or engine oil on the chain and grease on the sprocket teeth.
Using engine oil on modern motorcycle chains is mainly to stop them corroding on the surface part and i still occasionally use grease on the sprockets just because i'm old school, although i do believe its good for the sprockets.
I feel this is good enough for my bicycle chains as well.
I dont think theres anything wrong with using specific chain lubes.... i just dont believe they are the chain elixir that the manufacturers would have you believe.

 

[Croxden]

I've learnt something, not having a motorbike it's something I missed.

 

[Bindo]

There are a few problems with using fluids for lubricating chains,

The first is fling, oil gets everywhere, and for people like me who don't have a shed, it also gets into your carpets!

The second is that the film is wet, and allows dust and fine grit to stick to the chain, which causes a lot of issue with wear.

I use chain wax for my motorbike and find that works really well.

 

[Yamdude]

Many of my previous m/c's have been shaft drive, but i'm now back to chain on my current one.
After 40 years i still cant make up my mind which i prefer.... there's equal advantages and disadvantages on each.